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FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany, April 24, 2013 — Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, brought their newest single-engine products to showcase to the European market at this week’s AERO Friedrichshafen general aviation trade show. The TTx and the Grand Caravan EX are on display in the show’s exhibit hall for the duration of the 21st annual trade show. The TTx is billed as the world’s fastest certified single engine fixed-gear aircraft. The composite-material TTx is capable of speeds up to 235 kts (435 kph) and has been noted for its luxurious interior and technologically advanced cockpit design. “Seeing the first production model take flight in March was a fantastic moment in the TTx program,” said Brian Steele, business leader for the TTx. “We anticipate first deliveries to occur in May. The G2000 avionics from Garmin are part of a cockpit that makes a fantastic first impression, and people will be glad to know we are flying the final certificate version of the software. It’s the attention to detail that help set the TTx apart. There’s the speed, of course, but the other factors – the touch screen control pads, the air conditioning, the cup holders, the room for golf clubs in the back, the stitched leather on the seats, the side-stick control – that make the TTx a very exciting airplane.” Announced last summer, the Grand Caravan EX has outpaced what was expected of the aircraft, and now offers operators a 38 percent improvement in the rate of climb over the Grand Caravan. This figure outstrips the initial 20 percent improvement goals set by aircraft designers. The aircraft has an appeal to “high and hot” operators in many remote parts of the world. This is a key adaptation for the aircraft, allowing for missions in more remote, mountainous areas. Cessna is working towards Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) certification for the EX, and expects this to occur in early May. “The EX has so much more power than you would expect. It is something you have to experience to really get the full effect,” said Lannie O’Bannion, business leader for the Cessna Grand Caravan EX. “We have had many owner/operators take the left seat and just be amazed by how much more they can do with that additional horsepower. We like to call it the sport utility aircraft, as it has shown itself to be the ideal solution for safely getting people or cargo into places other aircraft simply cannot go.” The Turbo Skylane JT-A, announced last year at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh show, is also planned for first delivery in 2013. The groundbreaking aircraft widens the mission portfolio for a single engine propeller craft, given the fact that the JT-A is powered by the more available and affordable Jet-A fuel. Locating low-lead avgas has become challenging in many parts of the world, while unpredictable cost and supply issues make single-engine flight planning difficult. “We plan to certify and deliver the JT-A in this quarter,” said Jeff Umscheid, business leader for the Cessna Turbo Skylane JT-A. “We are on track. We have been taking orders since Oshkosh and the first 13 units are in production line flow. Customers are impressed with the aircraft and with the SMA Diesel engine. The first thing operators see is the 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency when compared to gasoline engines, but there are more improvements than that. With the Turbo Skylane JT-A, you have a single power lever, a constant speed propeller and an electronically controlled engine with mechanical backup. The reduction of the pilot workload is substantial.” A demonstration aircraft will be available in Europe later this spring. |